In all the years that David Tyson Smith has lived in and served Columbia, he notes one consistency about the city: How much it changes for the better.
As the incumbent and unopposed House District 46 representative, Smith said he plans to build on the improvements he sees to leave the city in a better place than he found it.
“The Democratic Party has made big advances in the city,” Smith said. “The political landscape has drastically changed, and that’s a good thing for Columbia.”
Smith, born and raised in Columbia, left to attend law school at Tulane University after graduating from the University of Missouri. After working in a New Orleans law firm, Smith returned to found Smith and Parnell LLC law firm with partner Malia Parnell.
In April 2021, Smith became Boone County’s first Black representative when he was elected to the state House after Kip Kendrick stepped down in District 45. When Boone County was redistricted in 2022, Smith was elected in his new District 46
In office, Smith has advocated for stricter gun regulation, protecting voting rights and securing equal access to education.
In 2022, he sponsored a bill to restrict the sale of fully or semi-automatic firearms to anyone under the age of 20. Smith introduced the bill after analyzing various school shootings across the nation where perpetrators have disproportionally been teenagers.
“I’m not saying that people can’t possess these guns,” Smith said. “I’m saying that this depressed teenager shouldn’t be walking in and buying an AR-15 over the counter. That’s ludicrous.”
Smith has been vocal about his disapproval of a new state law that allows charter schools in Boone County.
“This is a disaster for Columbia. It sucks money from public schools,” Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of fixed costs with public schools, so when you pull money away, you still have to pay those fixed expenses.”
Smith said he plans to file a bill to remove the charter school authorization in Boone County.
Smith also said he will try to tighten the sales of catalytic converters, expand Medicaid benefits and reinstate the autonomy of the Columbia Citizens Police Review Board, co-founded by Smith in 2009.
The board was started to independently review police misconduct to build trust between police officers and constituents. In September, the Columbia City Council voted to limit the duties of the board to comply with a new state law.
Smith said he believes the state law was misinterpreted and the legislature wasn’t intending to target Columbia.
“I don’t think it was done out of malice, I think it was a fear of litigation,” Smith said. “You always want to have an environment where there’s an accountable and transparent police department.”
Smith said he believes that the community is more engaged than he’s ever seen it.
“This is so much bigger than me. This is bigger than all the political stuff, and the donations and fundraising,” he said. “I don’t have to be here, but we can break through this acrimony to get to a place where we can come together.”
